Tina Wells

We have all heard of hand-me-downs... Don't you remember when you finally got the chance to nab your big brother's awesome leather jacket or that dreaded moment when mom approached you with your older sister's totally-not-cool polka-dotted sweater?

But have you heard about the hand-me-ups?

In today's tech-driven world,...

Products raising money for a cause is nothing new. Whether it's the plethora of pink items supporting breast cancer or a Livestrong bracelet, we're used to giving money and being rewarded with a promo item. But a new wave of social entrepreneurs, propelled by Profitable Purpose (one of my favorite...

1. Conscious Consumption -- Millennials are still consuming. The recession proved to be more of a reset button, allowing them to focus on what's important. Brands like TOMS shoes and FEED are examples of how Millennials are purchasing great products while supporting philanthropic causes at the same time. This is...

Millennials have grown up in this world of instanity, where information, photos, and prices (when they're shopping) are just one click away. They are also just a security checkpoint and a passport stamp away from almost anywhere in the world, where they can witness firsthand how cultures all over the...

If you enter a roomful of crying but healthy babies, chances are they all share at least one of the same needs: food, sleep, a diaper or some undivided attention from a loving grown-up. As they grow into early childhood, they will hit the same developmental bench-marks at roughly the...

For the next eight weeks, I'll be sharing excerpts from my new book, Chasing Youth Culture And Getting It Right.

Capturing the heart of a teen consumer is no easy task. Teens have completely different motivations than their tween and young adult counterparts. I believe that there are three things...

I've been to a therapist twice in my life. During our first visit, I announced to Dr. Love (a world-famous relationship doctor with several books and appearances on Oprah) that I wanted to quit my job. I'm sure he has tons of people who tell him the same thing --...

My last blog on MTV's responsibility to us and our children certainly sparked a great debate that even reached my personal inbox. People asked me how I could defend this show, why I was allowing it on air (I gently reminded them that I did not create, write, or produce...

I first wrote about MTV's controversial new show Skins a few weeks ago, before it's premiere. Since the first episode aired on January 17th, much has been written about the show -- even comparing it to porn. One theme that has emerged is MTV's responsibility to young people, and their...

Teenagers having sex and drugging is hardly new TV. But there is something impressively original about MTV's new series, Skins. Based on the British series of the same name that was created by father and son team Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain five years ago, the American version is apparently...

For decades it seemed commonplace to ask an entrepreneur, "When are you going to get a 'real job'?" These days, though, youth unemployment is an epidemic. Over 81 million young people worldwide are unemployed according to the International Labour Organization. And according to Pew Research Center, nearly 40% of young...

XIPWIRE, a company that allows customers to transfer cash using their mobile phones, is the only US company currently accepting donations on behalf of WikiLeaks. Based in Philadelphia, the service, which soft-launched earlier this year, quickly built a base in its hometown, catering to restaurants and a host of non-profits...

When it comes to providing help to those in need, you can always count on musicians to do their part. To help communities impacted by the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, some of today's hottest bands have joined together with Global Green USA to release...

When I think of McDonald's, and Happy Meals, I have nothing but good thoughts. Happy Meals for me bring back memories of shopping trips with my mother, grandmother, and younger siblings. At some point during the trip, my grandmother would always say, "Chile, get these children something to eat," at...

There has been a lot of discussion around the issue of young people voting. Will they actually go back to the polls, post-Obama Movement? Last week, we polled 1,458, 18-30 year-old buzzSpotters®, members of my trendspotting panel at Buzz Marketing Group, to see where they stood. Some stats...

There are two things that I believe young girls can never receive enough of: education and encouragement. I think that it is extremely important for women to set an example for today's girls by educating them on the importance of looking out for one another. Not just by supporting girls...

As students settle into their new school year routines of homework, sports and friends, there is also a very serious trend that also tends to settle in schools this time of year--bullying. It has been a problem facing America's youth for decades, but with the immense popularity of social media...

"Sexting" and "cyberbullying" are topics that I have touched on before in this blog and ones that I continue to follow in the media. These issues have become extremely prevalent in teen culture and many youth based organizations are beginning to bring attention to the dangers teens face by taking...

It's hard to believe we have come to the mid-point of summer, and with a new school year rapidly approaching, back to school campaigns are beginning to surface in the media. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you the top five campaigns that I think will be...

MTV is spreading the word for young people: "Get Yourself Tested" for STDs. Using the acronym GYT (a nice three-letter mash-up much like the now common OMG -- "oh my god" -- and LOL -- "laughing out loud"), MTV is hoping that the simplicity and convenience of this simple phrase...